AChristmas Day lobster feed in 2023 will be quite an expensive treat at up to $100 per kilogram.


This is the price for cooked lobster which is currently being charged by one prominent Adelaide-based retailer.


It is around $15 per kilogram more than at the same time in 2022.


The retail price is a reflection on the strong demand for the prime product since the Southern Zone fishery opened on September 1.


The so-called beach (wholesale) price has fluctuated in recent weeks along the South East’s seven ports.


A number of Beachport licence holders have decided not to test the market forces at play.


They have already caught their allocated 2023/24 quota, pulled their pots and returned to port.


The current returns are still well below the price of a few years ago when South Australia was directly exporting to the lucrative market of mainland China.


At that time, fishers were receiving triple-digit returns and the retail price per kilogram soared to $125.


Trade sanctions imposed by China four years ago had a crippling effect on the local industry but there has been a modest recovery.


Industry insiders expect the price will remain strong throughout summer and in the lead-up to Chinese New Year celebrations on February 10.


As more than 95% of the South Australian lobster catch is exported to Asian countries, it is anticipated the 175 holders of South East licences will do well out of the international celebrations to mark the start of the Year of the Dragon.